


Take Off

by inviernos



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 10:58:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13075434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inviernos/pseuds/inviernos
Summary: Regis was sure that missing his flight back home before the holidays would be the end of the world, but things are never really as bad as they seem.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I used prompt no. 19 from [this](http://diegoalvesisgod.tumblr.com/post/167408180712/christmas-au-prompts) list and adapted it slightly :)
> 
> It's the "missed my flight on Christmas eve and now I'm stuck with you" RegClar au no one asked for but I wanted lol. I just wanted to write something sweet and Christmas-y with them.  
> This is younger!RegClar and like a modern au? Idk, like what year is the FFXV-verse set in anyway? They're younger but they have smartphones here is what I'm getting at lol.
> 
> Also I would like to thank Kat who is not going to see this, but has indirectly helped with so much of my fic and lets me yell at her about ideas and things :')
> 
> Trigger warnings here for small food mentions, and a little anxiety.

Regis had been ready to go back home since the first inklings of the holiday season began springing up around Altissia.  It wasn’t just for the fact that his studies made him lose track of time and the months seemed to bleed together, and it was a wonder he could even remember what time it was, no less the day of the week; but he just loved the holidays. 

He loved October.  Even though he hated the cold, it was a sign that his favorite time of the year had arrived.  And Halloween was his favorite holiday only because it meant Christmas would be arriving soon, and thankfully November always seemed to rush right past him.  Once the clear vast waters that surrounded the city began to sparkle with red and green from the reflection of lights that adorned every surface the city workers could reach, he knew soon he would finally get a break from the whirlwind that was his school life and get the chance to be back with his family in Insomnia.

But on this particular day that he had been waiting for forever it had seemed; he had to wonder if he would be getting back to Insomnia at all at this point.  If the traffic he was currently stuck in went on like this, he didn’t know when his next chance to leave town would be. 

Regis did not usually take chances that he knew he would be on the losing end of; he had usually left the city exactly a week before Christmas, but this time he had some things to take care of around school and ended up staying much later.  He knew the roads would be busier at this time, and woke up very early so that he could call a cab to take him to the airport.  But as he sat in the taxi with his head leaned against the window willing for the car to start moving again, he realized choosing to leave the day before Christmas was not the chance he should have taken.  He prayed and prayed that he would make it there in time despite the traffic.  But the car continued to lurch forward at only a snail’s pace. 

The worst part was that both he and the driver knew that they were only a five minute drive from the airport.  Regis could see the building from the window.  It might have been faster for him to have simply hopped out of the car and walked at this point, but he had already seemed to be having bad enough luck with the decisions he had already made and decided to wait it out.

If he hadn’t been so anxious, Regis almost felt like he should try to nap on the car ride.  He was definitely tired enough for it; and then maybe, hopefully, when he awoke they’d be at the airport.  But at the same time he wanted to be ready to hop out as soon as they reached their destination.  Though he was beginning to realize it had also been a mistake to wear one of his thickest black sweaters even before his actual travels began.  His nerves were currently warming him up far better than the cab’s heater ever could. 

After what felt like an eternity of the taxi only moving three inches every few minutes, and constantly looking at the watch on his wrist they arrived at the airport.  Regis took no chances here and told the driver to stop as soon as they reached the departures area.  He only had one suitcase and his backpack, after all.  Altissia was beautiful and he loved being able to study here against such a majestic backdrop, but nothing was going to get in the way of him and his break back home.

As soon as the driver was paid and on his way to deal with the departing traffic himself, Regis set off for the check-in area.  He checked his watch once more and figured he still had about thirty minutes to reach the gate.  He managed to find a self check-in terminal with no wait, but the line to get through security was far too long.  Regis had expected this, but he tried to remain hopeful.  As long as he _tried_ to stay optimistic he just might make it to the gate on time.

Maybe.

The line moved as slowly as he thought it would but as soon as it was his turn, he wasted no time in emptying his pockets and setting his backpack up to go through the x-ray machine.

As soon as he was given the all-clear he was off.  He glanced at his watch one more time, and saw that he had ten minutes to reach the terminal.  The plane wouldn’t leave on time, they never did.  Not that he expected them to wait for him, but in his past experience every plane was late taking off.  He just had to keep repeating to himself that he would make it and he would. 

He ran as fast, but as carefully as he could through the airport.  He jogged down a long set of stairs, being careful not to bump into any of the other travelers making their way along, and then down the hallway that would take him to the trains leaving for the various terminals.  Regis could just about make out the signs that the next train was due to leave. 

And soon.

But at least he could begin to make out the words on the marquee, a sign that he was in fact closing the gap.  But as he got closer and the letters became even clearer, he saw that this was the train he needed to be on if he was to make it to the gate in time.  Regis had not been that far away and as soon as he realized, he began to sprint as fast as he could to the platform.  But he hadn’t been fast enough and was met with the doors closing, the words “Happy Holidays!” flashing at him on the marque above almost as if mocking him, and all hope of him making his flight on time passing him by with the train.

His heart sunk, but he wasn’t allowed much time to mope as the sudden loud sound of something heavy hitting the ground behind him caught his attention.  He looked back to see a taller man with long dark hair who looked to be about the same age as him, hunched over and trying to catch his breath with a large black backpack on the ground next to him.

“Dammit!” Regis heard the man whisper.  Though he had been having unusually bad luck so far this day, Regis felt like he could bet money that the stranger was in the same predicament as him.

But for now his main focus was getting back to Insomnia as soon as possible.  The next train wouldn’t be showing up to the platform for another ten minutes.  He was sure that his plane had taken off by now.  It was very unlikely but there still might be a chance of catching a later flight.  Or at the very least he could get on a flight leaving early tomorrow morning. 

But of course now that he wasn’t in a rush, the next train to his terminal seemed to arrive in no time at all.  Regis slowly made his way inside and chose a seat near the back of the car he had entered.  A few others trailed in including the man from earlier, who had chosen to sit in the row ahead on the opposite side of the aisle.  Regis was by no means staring at the man, but he was a few heads taller than most of the other passengers and did stand out.

Or at least Regis hadn’t thought he was staring until he became suddenly aware of the man removing his jacket in front of him.  As he shifted out of the coat Regis couldn’t help but notice the well-toned biceps that were adorned by what looked to be a tattoo of a bird.  Regis was definitely staring now.  But he had managed to convince himself he was just trying to see what kind of bird was tattooed on the stranger’s arms.

But before Regis even had the chance to cough and nonchalantly reach for the phone in his pocket as immediate cover, the other man glanced back and just happened to lock eyes with him as if he’d felt his eyes on him.  But Regis wasn’t one to get so flustered no matter how handsome he was beginning to realize the other person was.  He simply took a breath in and gave the man a brief nod. 

Regis watched as a brief look of surprise flashed across the other man’s face, but it was soon replaced by a smile and the other man nodded back; leaving Regis just momentarily a little more at ease despite his current situation.

“I’m guessing you were headed back to Insomnia as well,” said Regis, leaning forward in his seat.

“What gave it away?”  Despite the other man’s eyes being warm upon looking back at Regis, he let out a small sigh of frustration.

“It looked like you were in a rush to catch that last train we both missed,” Regis smiled.

“It’s just my luck.”  The other man shrugged, and turned back around leaning his head back against his seat.

“I waited until one of the busiest days to leave and managed to oversleep,” he continued.

“We almost made it though,” Regis sighed.

“Almost,” the other man chuckled.  “Neither of us ran fast enough.”

“I’m Clarus, by the way.”

“Regis.”

Clarus sat up and reached his hand across the aisle for Regis to shake.  Regis took his hand in his as he once again locked eyes with the stranger.  He noted how warm both his eyes and hand were, and of the various calluses that scraped against the skin of his own hand.  Just as Regis was about to let go, he caught the tail end of the announcement that the train would be reaching their stop, but in his attempt to do too many things at once, his next movements didn’t register in his mind in the correct order.

Regis attempted to stand up before the train had stopped, but all the while continuing to hold onto Clarus’ hand.  He realized the strange look Clarus was giving him, and as he made his way to sit back down the train stopped suddenly, causing him to lose his balance and flop ungracefully back into his seat.

“Whoops.”

Clarus was at his side in the moment.  His hand no longer still in his, but placed carefully on Regis’ shoulder.

”Are you alright?”  Clarus looked to be fighting back a laugh.

“It’s fine.”  Regis shook his head, trying to fight off his own laugh.  At least he knew it was actually funny, he could use that to cover what embarrassment he did feel.  “I’ve gotten worse knocks.”

“I’m sorry,” Clarus chuckled.

“No need to apologize.  It was my fault,” Regis gave him a reassuring smile.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Clarus asked once again as they made their way off of the train and down another long hallway that would take them to their gate.

“It’s fine.  I’m not injured or anything.  If anything, just a bit of wounded pride, really,” said Regis, feeling his face become a little hotter.

“I guess it’s a good thing we sat at the back then,” said Clarus.

As Regis walked alongside the man, there was a comforting feeling that if he was going to be stuck in an airport for an extended period of time, he might at least not have to do it alone now.  His phone and whatever book he had brought with him could only distract him so much, after all.  Though they had just met, Clarus luckily seemed to be just as amiable as he was. 

Unfortunately as they reached their gate, there was a line of people signaling that they were not the only people in their situation and it might take longer than Regis expected to get this sorted out.

“Of course,” Clarus mumbled as they made their way to stand in line.

“I guess we shouldn’t be surprised,” Regis frowned.

But he might as well make the most of the situation.  Regis removed his backpack, placing it at his feet to make himself more comfortable.

“So Clarus,” he began and the taller man turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

“Are you a student here?” he asked.  “I think I would’ve noticed someone like you around before.”

“Unfortunately no,” Clarus smirked.  “I was visiting a friend out here before the holidays.  Now I’m headed back to see my family in Lestallum.”

“Oh,” Regis nodded, his interest piqued.  “I’ve heard lots of nice things about Lestallum.  It’s still hot even though it’s winter, isn’t it?”

“Unfortunately,” said Clarus.  “It’s like that each year and I don’t do that well in hot weather.”

“Really?” Regis raised an eyebrow.  “I love warm weather.  I’m always glad to leave this city around the holidays.  The water just makes Altissia even colder.”

“Well, you can keep your hot weather,” joked Clarus.  “I can’t stand it.”

“Of course the man standing in the middle of a cold airport wearing a sleeveless vest would say that,” said Regis.

“We should trade places then.  Are you staying in Insomnia?  I’d much rather go there.”

The laugh Clarus let out was music to Regis’ ears.

“Are you sure?  It gets pretty rainy around this time back home,” said Regis.

“I can always put more layers on,” said Clarus.  “What am I supposed to do when it’s that hot out?  Walk around with no shirt on?”

“ _Something tells me having to be shirtless is the least of your worries_ ,” Regis thought to himself.

“I guess you’ve got a point,” he said outloud.  “You know what they say though, the grass is always greener...”

“I can help whoever’s next,” the airline representative’s voice cut through their conversation.  They had been so involved and their conversation had flowed so well, Regis hadn’t realized the line was moving steadily along with it.

Clarus began to walk towards the counter while Regis stayed behind to give him privacy.  Regis was fully prepared to pull out his phone to send a few texts to family members telling them what had happened, when he heard Clarus call his name and gesture towards the counter.

“Hmm?” he asked, confused.

“We’re both in the same boat, aren’t we?” Clarus asked.

“I guess you aren’t wrong,” Regis agreed, grabbing his backpack and happily making his way up to the counter to stand with Clarus.

“How can I help you gentlemen?” she asked with a smile.

“Well it se-“  Regis began.

“It looks like-“  Clarus also began.

The men both locked eyes, smiled, and blushed to themselves.

“You go ahead,” said Clarus.

“Aright then.  It looks like we’ve both missed the last flight to Insomnia,” Regis began, a small chuckle forming in the back of his throat. 

“So we were wondering if there were possibly any other flights headed that way.”

“Today…,” the woman began as she began to type some things into her computer. 

Regis knew that their options were very limited, but still watched as her eyes moved across the screen and her brow furrowed as she seemed to be thinking of the best way to drop the bomb on them.

“Well, unfortunately this is a very busy travel day…and tomorrow’s not much better,” she began.

“Right,” Clarus nodded.

“It looks like unfortunately there are no more open flights today,” she said.

“I guess I expected that.”  Regis sighed.

“But we do have some seats on a flight tomorrow morning at 6,” her voice chirped up.  “And you are always welcome to stay here just in case someone doesn’t show up for any of the later flights.”

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try.”  Clarus shrugged, but didn’t seem too convinced to Regis.

“Does six am sound good to you?” he asked.

“I don’t think we have much choice,” said Regis.  “We’ll take the six am flight then, ma’am.”

“Fantastic!  May I see your ID and tickets for the flight that you missed?” she asked.  “So I can go ahead and transfer over your information…”

“Well…at least we’re going back to Lucis eventually,” said Regis.

“Yeah,” said Clarus.  “I’m gonna have to call the family though and let them know I’m gonna be a lot later than I expected.”

“Oh right,” Regis said solemnly.  “You have a much longer trip once we land.”

“Yeah,” Clarus agreed.  “But I should still get back to Lestallum in time for dinner.  That’s really all I want.”

“So gentlemen I’ve gone ahead and transferred all of your information over,” the attendant spoke suddenly. 

“Luckily, you’ll both be sitting together on this flight!  Your seats were so far away from each other on that last one.”  She let out a small laugh.

“I guess they were,” Regis laughed, his face suddenly feeling warm again.  He glanced at Clarus to see if he could find any opposition to the fact that they were now going to be sitting together on his face, but found nothing but a small smile.

“Now if you do decide to stay and see if there are no-shows, the next flight to Insomnia is at four.  If you can’t make it on that flight, we’d be happy to help you try and find accommodations in the area…”

“That sounds great, thank you.”  Regis checked the time on his phone, noting it was only 11am.

“Right, thank you.”

“Looks, like we have a while until we’re due back here…” said Regis.

“Happy holidays, gentlemen!”  The woman said as they walked away.

“Happy holidays,” the two men said in unison.

“Well, Clarus…” There was a sense of finality to Regis’ tone.

“I could go for a cup of coffee right about now,” Clarus turned to look at the other man.  “Wanna join me?”

Regis didn’t know why he expected that after this he and Clarus would be going their separate ways.  Regis wasn’t exactly sure what he himself wanted to do to pass the time until the next flight, or if he even thought he had a chance of getting on it, but he was sure Clarus would just head back to his friend’s house and come back in the morning. 

But that didn’t seem to be the case now.  Regis smiled before answering.

“Of course,” he replied as he turned to catch up with the taller man who had already begun walking in the direction of the café in this area of the terminal.

“I’m glad to hear it,” said Clarus.  “What were you saying earlier, though?”

“Oh…no, that was nothing,” Regis smiled to himself.

After their coffee was ordered and paid for, Regis chose a few stools by the window of the café for them to sit on.  It had been cloudy when he left for the airport that morning and by now it had turned into a steady pouring of rain.  It was the perfect atmosphere for him to warm up with a cup of coffee and a new friend over.

“So Clarus,” began Regis.  “What do you do when you aren’t visiting friends in beautiful cities like Altissia?”

Clarus smiled to himself as he took a sip from his iced coffee.

“I study in Insomnia,” he said.

“Ahh, I guess that’s why I’ve never seen you out there then.”

“Yeah, as soon we get a break I go back home or come up here to visit ol’ Weskham,” said Clarus.

“It’s the same for me,” said Regis.  “Looks like as soon as one of us lands in one city, the other has already gone.”

“Yup.  Not for much longer though,” said Clarus.  “It’s strange to think after all of this, next year I’ll be done.”

“Oh?”  Regis raised his eyebrows.  “Congratulations!”

“Thanks.”  Clarus tipped his coffee cup in Regis’ direction.

“I know we all hate this question…,” Regis laughed nervously.  “But do you know what you want to do after?”

“I’m not sure,” Clarus shrugged.  “Does any university student really know?”

“You’ve got me there,” said Regis.

“There’s been a few offers from family friends to come work with them, but I’m not sure if that’s really want I want to do…”

Clarus continued to speak on his university experience.  Regis didn’t think Clarus was much older than him, so he was surprised to hear he was almost done with his studies.  But then again Regis wasn’t new to the world of academia himself.  Though, as Clarus spoke and the subject began to turn increasingly focused on what he was studying, Regis began to start feeling just how long he had been awake.  Not that he would have understood him on a full night’s rest anyway. 

He nodded along as Clarus spoke of increasingly complex concepts of chemistry and things he had learned during his lab sessions over the years.  His hands moved wildly as he spoke and his voice rose and boomed as Clarus told Regis things that he was sure would be very interesting if only he understood them.  He nodded along, because as much as he only had the slightest grasp on what Clarus was trying to tell him, he knew that he’d like to listen to him talk for much longer about many things.

And at the very least, it was endearing how passionate Clarus was talking about his studies even if Regis wasn’t sure that Clarus expected him to participate in an actual dialogue about them.

“You said you went to school out here right?” Regis was relieved that he finally understood those words.

“Yes,” Regis just barely sputtered out, trying not to miss his way back into the conversation.

“I’m a history major.”

“Ah, aren’t you lucky you get to study with such beautiful scenery around, then?”

“I wish that were true,” Regis laughed.  “With all the time we’ve spent in the library lately…”

Regis looked out the window and shook his head at the thought of how he’d spent the previous two weeks trying to finish a paper, hidden behind a stack of books and essentially cooped up inside the building, really only leaving to use the restroom or eat.  If he ever got around to eating, that was.  He always told himself he wouldn’t do it ever again, but each semester it seemed to happen more often than not.

“Don’t tell me you never think to study outside?” Clarus asked.

“That’d be one too many trips back and forth with all of the books,” said Regis.

“I guess it would be…” said Clarus as he let out a yawn.

“Tired?” Regis asked coyly.

“Now you see why I invited you to get coffee with me,” said Clarus, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Really?  It wasn’t because of my good looks and charming personality?”  Regis asked with his head tilted to the side, really only half-joking at this point.

Regis watched as Clarus appeared to choke on his coffee.

“Well, who said it couldn’t be both things?”  Clarus said, briefly raising his eyebrows at Regis before turning to look back out of the window with his coffee in hand.

But as soon as Regis watched Clarus turn to face the grey outside he began coughing.

 _Smooth_.

“Are you alright?”  Regis asked in as concerned of a voice as he could without laughing.

“You’re such good company I didn’t even realize how long we’ve been sitting here, Regis.”  Clarus looked amused as he set the cup back down. 

“That’s all water now.”

He had been so preoccupied with rushing to the airport that Regis’ mind hadn’t really slowed down until somewhere in the middle of his and Clarus’ time in the café.  Everything had sped around him in a blur and he hadn’t even taken the time to realize the extent of the Christmas decorations around the airport.  Or even the small holiday touches in the café, like the fake snow sprayed on some areas of the window, or the nicely decorated Christmas tree that stood in a corner of the store they sat in.  Sitting here with Clarus in as cozy of an environment the airport could provide, Regis remembered how much he really did enjoy the holiday season. 

The earlier morning hadn’t been very nice to him, but as he watched Clarus look up from his phone and shyly smile at him, their conversation seemingly beginning to take a more interesting turn, it seemed the afternoon was beginning to make it up to him.

“So…” Regis began, glancing back down at Clarus’ bicep.  “Nice tattoo.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Well…” said Regis as he flopped down into a chair next to the man he had accidentally, but very enjoyably, spent the last several hours of his Christmas Eve with.

Although his hopes of catching the later flight weren’t very high in the first place, this day had started to become too long for him.  He slumped back in the uncomfortable seat in the boarding area.  After two hours of waiting around to see if space would open up on the evening flight to Insomnia, he was really starting to feel the day’s events taking a toll on him.  He could only imagine that Clarus was beginning to feel the same.

“Another packed flight.  I guess I didn’t _really_ expect anyone to not show up for this one…” said Clarus.

“I didn’t either,” said Regis.  “But still…”

“I’m tired, Clarus.”  A small, half-hearted laugh escaped Regis.

“You _look_ tired,” said Clarus in a caring voice. 

Regis studied Clarus’ face, the bags under his eyes confirming his thoughts.  Once again he remembered Clarus had been in the same position as him and began to feel bad that he was probably just as exhausted as Regis.  It was a kind of tired that no amount of coffee could help.

“Are you sure you don’t want to see if they can put us up in a hotel for the night?”

“Not really.”  Regis shook his head adamantly.  “I don’t think I can move anymore at this point anyway.”

At this point, Regis didn’t care how close the hotel was.  And it didn’t help that since it was his fault that he missed the flight, he would still have to pay.  He didn’t have anywhere nearby to stay and did not want to chance heading back into the city just to encounter the same traffic tomorrow morning.  He had resigned himself to this long ago; the only one hundred percent sure way to not miss the morning flight would be to remain in the airport until boarding.

“You really should try and get some proper rest eventually though,” said Clarus.

“I think the idea of proper rest flew out the window once we missed two flights,” said Regis.

“Don’t let me keep you, though,” Regis began.

This was it now.  They had only met a few hours ago but Regis already felt like he had made a great friend in Clarus.  If he had to pick someone to get stuck in an airport with for much longer than he needed to be, he’d do it all over again with Clarus.  But now it was time for them to go their separate ways.  Regis was just thankful that they had exchanged information back at the café earlier in the off chance that Clarus ended up not being on the plane the next morning.  He couldn’t just let Clarus come and go from his life that easily.

“I guess you’ll be headed off back to your friend’s place?”  Regis asked, trying to sound as neutral as possible. 

“I would offer to let you stay at my place, but I’m too scared to leave the airport now,” he continued.

“Don’t even mention it,” Clarus shook his head.  “But I’m staying right here…What would I look like if I left a friend in an airport by themselves all night?”

Regis hoped he didn’t look as shocked as he felt, and tried not to seem so eager as he watched Clarus take his coat off and lean back, settling right in to the chair next to him.  As much as Regis wanted him to get out of the building and properly rest in an actual bed, a much bigger part of him was glad that he said he would stay.  He didn’t want their short time together to end either, but he still felt a little selfish for not protesting further.  But at the same time Regis wasn’t quite sure anything else he could say would convince Clarus to go anyway. 

“Please don’t ruin your Christmas eve on account of me,” said Regis quietly.

He watched as Clarus reached into his backpack and pulled out a heavy looking book; Regis was certain he really wasn’t setting foot outside of the airport now.

“Who said it was ruined?” Clarus raised an eyebrow.  “Sure, I might not be where I planned to, but…the company is just as good.”

Regis felt his face getting hot again.

“Somehow I don’t think this is how you meant to spend your Christmas Eve either, you know?”  Clarus smiled as he looked up from his book.

“I guess not,” Regis sighed.  “But I did at least find someone to share the pain of missing a flight on one of the busiest travel days of the year with.  And I’d say he turned out to be a pretty interesting guy.”

“I think I can agree with you there,” Clarus said smugly.

“You should really get some sleep though,” he said, suddenly.  “Come on now, I’ll watch our things.”

“Clarus, no…I’ll sleep on the plane,” Regis insisted.  “You’ll get bored if I fall asleep.”

“You’ll wait to sleep?  In about the next ten hours?”  Clarus glanced at his phone. 

“As long as we’ve been awake, you won’t make it that long.”  Clarus laughed incredulously.  “Take a nap while you have the chance, I know that caffeine’s worn off by now.”

“But you will get bored sitting there,” said Regis.

“Don’t be foolish,” Clarus scoffed.  “I’ve got my book here, and all the people-watching in the world.  I’ll be fine.”

Regis knew that he could definitely have picked worse people to spend a night in the airport with and he could already trust Clarus completely to keep an eye on his things if he decided to nod off, but he still didn’t want to.  He trusted that Clarus would be perfectly fine reading, but for some reason felt bad leaving him to entertain himself.

But Clarus was right, as long as he had been awake, he wouldn’t be able to fight off sleep for much longer.  He would close his eyes.  But just for a moment.  But he had to say something first.

“Clarus,” Regis mumbled after a few moments of fidgeting with his phone.

“I thought you were going to sleep,” said Clarus.

“Soon…” Regis smiled.  “Thank you.”

“Hmm?” the older man raised an eyebrow.

“You really didn’t have to keep me company in an airport all night,” Regis began shyly.  “I mean, I’m sure you have your reasons for staying, but…thanks for letting me hang around.  I could have definitely spent the holiday with worse people.”

“It definitely made this whole ordeal a lot easier to handle.”

“Well I should be thanking you for reaching out on the train,” said Clarus.  “I don’t think you could tell but I was pretty upset about missing that flight.  I’m glad you were there to help keep a level-head about things.”

“Of course,” Regis yawned.  “You’re welcome.”

“You too,” said Clarus. 

“I hope that…” he began and suddenly stopped himself.  Maybe it would be best to save this for after he got some rest.

“What’s that?” Clarus asked, turning his head so that he was looking straight at Regis.

“I just hope that we can keep in touch after this.”

“Believe me,” Clarus let out a small chuckle.  “You aren’t getting rid of me that easily.”

“ _Besides_ , we still have the next couple of hours and a plane ride together, Regis.  And if you’re really gonna miss me that much, you know you could always just come straight to Lestallum with me since you love our weather so damn much.” 

“Is that right?” said Regis blinking to keep himself awake.

“You’re always welcome,” said Clarus. 

Regis closed his eyes and listened to Clarus speak until his voice began to seem further away.  He could picture him exactly; his nose still in his book while he chatted along, not realizing Regis was finally taking his advice.  Regis wasn’t sure what Clarus had even been speaking about but he never stopped following the sound of his voice.

“I’d love to see you again.”

Those words were clear as day, but Regis wasn’t awake enough to know if they were real or if his subconscious had strung them together from his own hopeful thoughts.  But he didn’t have very long to figure out the source.

Unsurprisingly, Regis had begun to dream of the day’s earlier events.  It began with him walking through the airport, but this time he couldn’t find his gate no matter how far he walked ahead of him.  He found himself on a train eventually, but this time he was alone and it only seemed to go in a straight line with no discernible end.  Even though the airport had been eerily empty in the dream, he didn’t feel scared as much as he was just annoyed that he had been reliving the in real life nightmare from earlier.  The dream began to feel much too real to Regis.  He knew he was asleep but he could feel himself becoming stressed in real life again and decided that was enough.

He woke up with a sharp intake of breath and something green twinkling in his half-open eyes.  At first he thought he was still asleep and the blurry green sparkles in front of him were something from his subconscious.  As he began to become more alert he realized a pain in his neck and that he was very much awake and staring at something he didn’t recognize.  He had fallen asleep, slouched down as far as his body would go and his necked flopped straight over the back of the chair.  He blinked some more and the green twinkling above him began to become clearer until he realized he was staring at Christmas lights strung across the ceiling of the airport.

Although he was uncomfortable he remained in his position and considered letting himself succumb to even more sleep until the pain in his neck told him he needed to move.  Regis slowly sat up careful not to suddenly jerk his head back up, knowing that his neck would hurt much worse if he did.  It was still painful to move, but he slowly picked his head up until he was facing forward.  He rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms out until his forearm brushed against something warm next to him; _someone_ warm who happened to be snoring softly under the Christmas music that was playing on the airport speakers. 

Regis smiled to himself at Clarus’ sleeping form.  He had fallen asleep in a similar position but with his book in his lap; Regis hoped that the warm air that was now blowing on them hadn’t blown any of the pages around or caused him to lose his place.

“Fantastic,” Regis whispered to himself as he checked the time and noticed it was already three in the morning. 

As far as Regis could tell, all of their things were still there.  He would have preferred to not have been asleep so long in public with all of their belongings just sitting out in the open, but at the same time he couldn’t blame Clarus for nodding off as well.   They both really needed the nap.

At least they didn’t have much longer to wait now.  But as excited as Regis was to go home, the sadness that he had been trying to suppress earlier that he might not see Clarus again after this began to resurface.  But he couldn’t dwell on the feelings for too long, he decided to make the most of these moments.

Regis heard Clarus begin to move around and watched in amusement as he slowly opened one eye followed by the other.

“Hey…” he said in a raspy voice.  “Did you get to sleep?”

“I did,” Regis replied.  “Probably not as well as you, though.”

“I think I dreamt about you actually…” Clarus said in a sleepy voice; the smile that accompanied it was almost too much for Regis to take.

“Is that right?” Regis asked bravely.

“Yeah, we were both in Lestallum with the unfitting Christmas decorations in the hot weather you love so much…You know I was serious earlier.”  Clarus sat up in his chair. 

“Next time you’re in Lestallum...” he trailed off.

“I wouldn’t dream of going to Lestallum and not checking to see if you were in town,” said Regis.

“Good.”  Clarus let out another loud yawn as he stretched his arms up over his head.

“Think I could stand to go for a walk after falling asleep in that chair…do you wanna come with?” Clarus asked.

He stood up and held his hand out to Regis.

“You know I would,” said Regis as he placed his hand into Clarus’.

“Great.”

Regis didn’t immediately let go of his hand after he stood up, but Clarus didn’t let go either.  Regis smiled to himself as they slowly walked along away from their gate.  At least he hadn’t been wrong about this.

The airport at three am was quiet and there were only a few travelers around besides them and only one or two employees standing at their counters.  In the distance Regis could hear the whirring of a vacuum, the only ambient noise at this hour.  He hadn’t seen anyone along the stretch of hallway they were walking down for a while now and noticed Clarus purposefully walking slower as well; this could be his chance.

“Clarus…” Regis began quietly, slowing their pace down until they were stopped in the middle of the walkway.

The look in his eyes told Regis they were still on the same page.  Clarus took a careful step towards him as Regis’ arms went instinctively around the back of his neck.  Their lips met briefly and the cold empty hallway was suddenly warmer.  Regis blinked and it was over, but still enough to leave him breathless.  But before he could say anything Clarus closed the short distance between their lips once again.  As Clarus broke the kiss he didn’t pull away completely and their foreheads remained pressed together.  They both locked eyes for a moment and looked away, laughing shyly to themselves.

“I…,” Regis smiled as he took a second to regain his composure.  He had been really glad that he had done that after all.

“Well when are you going to come visit me in Insomnia?” said Regis straightforwardly as he quickly slipped his hand back into Clarus’ and led them both back onto their walk.

“Well...” Clarus began, looking self-assured although there was a slight blush across his face.  “I will be coming back about a week before the next semester starts up…”

“I’m fairly sure I’ll still be there,” said Regis hopefully.

“Then it looks like our paths will definitely cross again,” said Clarus. 

“I can make sure they cross again, Clarus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading if you made it this far :3
> 
> And happy holidays to all!


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